Managing B2B brands using Digital Channels
August 11th, 2020 | Reading time: 3 minutes
Written by @Matthias Borch
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Trust and personal customer relations are irreplaceable for the B2B sector, as the successful marketing of industrial goods shows. However, many companies find it difficult to combine these qualities with digitalization. Especially digital channels, such as websites or social media offer a good chance to maintain and cultivate long-term customer relationships.
Building Customer Relationship with B2B Brands
Many digital companies have found that a strong brand can help to build a new kind of customer intimacy. The importance of a brand is primarily based on the level of awareness and popularity among customers. The more customers are familiar with a brand, the more they know what the brand stands for. Above all, emotions and feelings are associated with the brand. These help B2B companies to establish a personal relationship with their customers. Communication via digital channels offers an easy way to make the corporate brand tangible for the customer. The company can present its brand in many different ways, such as through videos, blogs and websites. Even though it may sound easy at first glance to present a B2B company online, there are two main aspects that matter.
Creating a Digital Marketing Strategy
First of all, a clear strategy for digital communication must be defined. This includes brand identity and positioning. This refers to the characteristics and associations for which the brand should stand and which the customer associates with it. An important aspect is the employees who convey the identity of the brand. The success of external communication depends on the internal anchoring of the brand.
Deciding for the right Digital Channels for your B2B Brands
Another relevant point is the choice of the appropriate digital contact points for the B2B company’s marketing strategy. Neither can all digital channels be served by one company at the same time, nor is this promising. Therefore, it is recommended that specific digital communication channels are selected that also suit the B2B company. The customer’s point of view offers a good opportunity to select customer relevant media. Similar to a personal relationship, the points of contact need to be maintained regularly in order to build a lasting relationship with the customer.
USE CASE: THERMOSTAT MANUFACTURER NEST
Numerous practical examples show that the effort is worth it. For example, the thermostat manufacturer Nest, as a B2B company, has increasingly focused on social media. As more and more end customers come into contact with the product, it is a good opportunity to create a platform for direct exchange with customers. Social media channels are particularly suitable for this purpose, where manufacturer and customer can exchange information together. The digital communication strategy has been successful at Nest, as social media has contributed to better engagement, greater differentiation and increased customer loyalty.
The practical example shows that digital channels are a good complement to conventional sales and marketing for B2B companies. For example, social media are suitable for building a brand identity and strengthening personal relationships with customers. Overall, a tangible brand leads to increased sales figures, greater trust in the company and recommendations. Many reasons to start with digitalization.
Matthias Borch
Matthias deals with the development of digital strategies, as well as other topics such as campaign and media management. Learn more
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